Hijacked Ship

According to a report from Voice of America, Somali pirates said they have evacuated 19 crew members from the hijacked ship, Panama-flagged cargo carrier MV Orna, that caught fire on June 15. The ship's crew remains held by the pirates.
Source: Voice of America

The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) issued a Special Warning stating that mariners are advised to avoid the port of Mogadishu and to remain at least 200 nautical miles distant from the Somali coast. Pirates are reported to have used previously hijacked ships as bases for further attacks. They are also reported to issue false distress calls to lure ships closer to shore. Be constantly alert if in this vicinity.

Piracy and armed robbery attacks against ships rose 14% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2006, the second consecutive quarterly increase in attacks, as the coastal waters off Nigeria and Somalia became ever more dangerous, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported.
In the first nine months of the year, 198 attacks were reported versus 174 attacks reported in 2006 during the same time frame

A Chemical tanker, with 22 crew members on board, has been hijacked by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden near - the 12th ship to be seized in the waterway since July 20, a maritime official said on Tuesday.
The vessel from Hong Kong was heading towards through a maritime security corridor in the Gulf, patrolled by an international naval force, when it was attacked on Monday, Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said.

On October 3, the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet released this photo of the crew of the MV Faina. The crew on the hijacked cargo ship appear to be in good health, the Navy reported. The ship's Russian captain died of a heart condition nearly two weeks ago, reports said. The Belize-flagged cargo ship, owned and operated by , , was seized by pirates Sept. 25 and forced to proceed to anchorage off the . The ship is carrying a cargo of Ukrainian T-72 tanks and related military

The International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed that piracy on the world’s seas is at its lowest first-quarter level since 2007, but warns that the threat is still present.
The latest IMB Piracy Report, published today, shows 49 piracy incidents in the first quarter of 2014 – the lowest first quarter figure since 2007, when 41 incidents were recorded.
In the first three months, two vessels were hijacked, 37 vessels boarded

According to a Reuters report, Somali pirates have hijacked a second ship chartered by chemical tanker shipping group Stolt-Nielsen. Gunmen seized the Stolt Strength in the Gulf of Aden on the afternoon of Nov. 10, nearly two months after they hijacked Stolt Valour, a chemical tanker on its way to India.
(Souce: Reuters)

According to a report from Bloomberg, Abduwali Muse, a Somali pirate who pleaded guilty to hijacking the container ship Maersk Alabama, should get 27 years in prison when he is sentenced this month, his lawyers said, citing his youth and poverty. Muse admitted in May to two counts of hijacking maritime vessels, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of hostage taking. He faces 27 years to 33 years and nine months in prison under a range agreed to by his lawyers and the U.S.

The ICC International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre recommends extreme vigilance aboard ships in West African waters.
Since mid-August three vessels have been hijacked by pirates in this region. These recent attacks are notable as they have all been against tankers, with the purpose of stealing the valuable cargoes on board. Furthermore, the incidents reported off West Africa are characterised by the degree of violence used against crew.

More so than many other fields of business, the maritime industry is focused on cost, which in turn gives the appearance of being conservative towards technology. Of course, we have magnificently technical ships operating with equipment that wouldn’t look out of place in a NASA lab, but in general, it can take decades for a technology to become mainstream. Unless it becomes mandated by the IMO. Vessel tracking is a partial exception to the rule though

Oil tanker MT Orkim Harmony arrived safely at the Kuantan Port in Tanjung Gelang about 7am today (Saturday, June 20), nine days after it was hijacked by a group of pirates off Tanjung Sedili, Johor.
The vessel, which was carrying about 6

The eight Indonesian nationals arrested by Vietnamese authorities and suspected of hijacking the Malaysia-flagged tanker Orkim Harmony confessed to the crime, says a report in The Straits Times.
Thirteen individuals were involved in the hijacking of the MT Orkim Harmony

New figures show that Southeast Asia continues to dominate maritime crime incidents globally, with 120 reports of piracy and maritime crime instances occurring in the region since January 1, 2015, an increase of 22 percent compared to the first six months of 2014, according to figures from U.K

Published today, a new report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) highlights a continuing trend in South East Asia in the hijacking of small coastal tankers by maritime pirates, averaging one attack every two weeks.

One coastal tanker is hijacked every two weeks on average in Southeast Asia making it the most dangerous seas, the latest piracy report from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has warned.
The IMB says more than half of all sea pirate attacks since the beginning of 2015 have

Chirag Bahri, MPHRP Regional Director for South Asia was invited by Anglo Eastern Maritime Academy in Karjat, India, to interact with the cadets undergoing pre sea training at the prestigious nautical college.
During the presentation

The Singapore-flagged Ocean Energy was hijacked in the Straits of Malacca on Saturday and fuel siphoned from tanker.
According to a report from the Southeast Asian piracy watchdog ReCAAP, the taker bound for Myanmar is the fifth to be targeted by robbers since the start of 2015.

Philippine and Japanese coast guard teams staged an anti-piracy drill on Wednesday, featuring the storming of a cargo vessel after a mock hijack, in a show of maritime cooperation between the two nations amid rising tension in Asian waters.

Philippine and Japanese coast guard teams staged an anti-piracy drill on Wednesday, featuring the storming of a cargo vessel after a mock hijack, in a show of maritime cooperation between the two nations amid rising tension in Asian waters.

Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are in discussions to extend joint patrols to deal with a resurgence of piracy in the South China Sea piracy hotspots, said Singapore's Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han.
Singapore's Today reports that the extension of these patrols - which

“The first few months of 2015 have demonstrated, in the most visible way possible, just how complex and sometimes dangerous the maritime domain can be, as well as how important it is to maintain awareness, treat the risks and avoid complacency at all costs.”

The crew of the product tanker Orkim Victory was taken hostage after their vessel was hijacked by pirates eight nautical miles off the coast of Pu Aur, Malaysia, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB)’s Piracy Reporting Centre.

Orkim Harmony located with crew, cargo safe; Malaysian navy negotiating with pirates onboard.
A Malaysian naval vessel has made contact with the pirates onboard hijacked tanker Orkim Harmony and is trying to persuade them to surrender, a maritime official said on Thursday.

The hijacked oil tanker Orkim Harmony has been released by pirates, who fled in the ship's rescue boat, Malaysian navy and maritime officials said on Friday.
The Orkim Harmony, hijacked on June 11 off the Malaysian coast by pirates reportedly armed with pistols and machetes